Varieties are added to the HGCA recommended lists when they are considered by the project’s industry consortium to bring consistent economic benefits to the industry. Inclusion is based on their performance in a wide range of categories including grain quality, disease resistance and agronomic features. “The large number of varieties added and removed this year is due to breeders successfully bringing forward varieties with high yields compared to current varieties," said Dr. Simon Oxley, HGCA senior research and knowledge transfer manager responsible for the recommended lists. "These new varieties have also been tested in a very challenging season as part of the RL system."

Newly recommended wheat varieties include a nabim group 2 bread making variety, Chilton, which is also provisionally approved for ukp export, alongside four possible uks varieties for biscuit making. For winter barley, four new varieties with malting potential have performed well agronomically — Talisman, KWS Joy, Mezmaar and Solomon. The feed variety KWS Glacier, recommended for the UK, shows a step forward in yield over existing varieties, according to the HGCA. The East/West Oilseed Rape list sees seven additions and the North list nine, with DK Imagine CL, the first variety with imidazolinone tolerance, included in the Oilseed Rape descriptive list.